Remembering the last time LeBron James missed the All-Star Game: Lakers star makes 19th straight appearance
The sport of basketball has never seen anyone quite like LeBron James.
The list of records he has broken in his 20-year NBA career is seemingly endless. Just this month, he became the league’s all-time leading scorer by overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This weekend he will play in his 19th straight All-Star game, tying him with Abdul-Jabbar for the longest time ever.
It’s hard to remember a time when King James was not one of the best players in the NBA, that’s how long his tenure is.
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So when was the last time LeBron didn’t fight in the All-Star game? You have to go back to 2004 for that.
When was the last time LeBron James wasn’t an NBA All-Star?
The last time LeBron wasn’t an All-Star was during his 2003-2004 rookie season. In each of the 19 years since, he has been cited as one of the NBA’s best.
The youngest player currently in the NBA is Detroit’s Jalen Duren who was born on November 18, 2003. That means LeBron has been in the NBA longer than Duren has been on this earth. And he’s been an All-Star for most of his life, too.
The last time LeBron missed the All-Star Game, the Nets were in New Jersey, the SuperSonics were in Seattle, and the Hornets were in New Orleans. Charlotte and Oklahoma City didn’t even have NBA franchises. The Bobcats were also a year away from entering the league. The Thunder would not come into existence until LeBron’s sixth (sixth!) pro season.
If these fun facts aren’t enough to help you get a sense of just how long this streak has lasted, just take a look at the 2004 All-Star Game rosters.
Eastern Conference
| player | team |
| Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Tracy McGrady | Orlando magic |
| Vincent Carter | Toronto Raptors |
| Jermaine O’Neal | Indiana Pacers |
| Ben Wallace | Detroit piston |
| Baron Davis | New Orleans Hornets |
| Jason Kid | New Jersey Nets |
| Michael Redd | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Paul Pierz | Boston Celtics |
| Ron Artst | Indiana Pacers |
| Kenyon Martin | New Jersey Nets |
| Jamal Magloire | New Orleans Hornets |
Western Conference
| player | team |
| Steve Francis | Houston missiles |
| Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Kevin Garnet | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs |
| Yao Ming | Houston missiles |
| Ray Allen | Seattle Super Sonics |
| Sam Kassel | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Andrei Kirilenko | Utah jazz |
| Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| Peja Stojakovic | Sacramento Kings |
| Brad Miller | Sacramento Kings |
| Shaquille O’Neal | Los Angeles Lakers |
As you might expect, all of these players are long gone from the NBA. The last to leave the league was Vince Carter, who stayed until his final retirement in 2020 at the age of 43.
In case you’re wondering, the Western Conference won the game 136-132. Shaquille O’Neal became All-Star Game MVP thanks to his 24-point night. Jamaal Magloire led the way for the Eastern Conference with 19 points. Yes, we live in a world where Jamaal Magloire — who averaged 13.6 points and 10.3 rebounds for a 41-41 New Orleans Hornets roster — made the Eastern Conference All-Star Team over LeBron James.
If LeBron makes it to his 20th All-Star Game next season, it will be the most appearances by an NBA player in history. And the thing is, there’s no reason to think he won’t.
He’s still not slowing down. James is averaging 30.0 points per game this season. If he continues like this, it will be among the best statistical seasons of his entire legendary career.
So this Sunday, sit back, relax, and make sure you don’t take for granted the fact that LeBron will likely be all over your TV screen again. You might as well go ahead and get ready for All-Star performance #20 while you’re at it.